Reference Books I Have Used for TCM Anti-Cancer Study

Readers often ask me to recommend a reading list for studying TCM anti-cancer treatment. I have always felt apprehensive about prescribing book lists, because I know my own level is limited and I am not qualified to direct others in how to read and study medicine. But such requests are frequent, so I can only systematically introduce the TCM anti-cancer reference books I myself have used, for your reference.

I divide these books into three categories: first, works on modern TCM; second, classical TCM works; and third, works on Western oncology that I have personally used. I include Western oncology texts because cancer is extremely complex and almost always requires integrated Chinese-Western comprehensive treatment; reading TCM literature alone is not enough. Thus I believe that studying TCM anti-cancer treatment also requires some knowledge of Western oncology.

First, works on modern TCM anti-cancer treatment. These fall into several sub-types: monographs by TCM anti-cancer experts, TCM anti-cancer case records, and reference works closely related to TCM oncology. Below I introduce my own bookshelf according to these categories.

Oncology of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine: This volume is part of a series of monographs on integrated Chinese and Western medicine. The series editor-in-chief is Academician Wu Xianzhong, and this volume is edited by Jia Yingjie. It was one of the first reference books I bought and one I have flipped through most often. It introduces knowledge relevant to integrated Chinese-Western cancer treatment very comprehensively.

TCM Surgery (Yangkexue) of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine: Like the above, this is part of the series edited by Academician Wu Xianzhong. This volume is edited by Zhang Gengyang and Wang Jun. Many ancient yangke (surgical) diseases are in fact today's cancers, so this book also covers a great deal about cancer.

Guidelines for TCM Diagnosis and Treatment of Malignant Tumors: Edited by Professor Lin Hongsheng of Guang'anmen Hospital in Beijing. It describes the principles and medications of TCM cancer treatment in great detail.

Science of TCM Oncology Treatment: Edited by Wang Juxiang and Xu Li of Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This is a monograph on TCM anti-cancer treatment produced by a team led by TCM professors at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, and it has considerable reference value.

Pharmacology and Clinical Practice of Anti-Tumor Chinese Materia Medica: Edited by Professor Ji Yubin. A pharmacological monograph introducing a large number of anti-tumor Chinese herbs from both the modern pharmacology and traditional TCM theory perspectives.

TCM Treatment of Malignant Tumors: Edited by Professor Xu Zhenye of Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; it represents the collective wisdom of Longhua Hospital's TCM anti-cancer team.

Sun Guizhi's Practical TCM Oncology: A TCM anti-cancer monograph edited by Professor Sun Guizhi of Guang'anmen Hospital. Like Professor Lin Hongsheng, Professor Sun is a famous physician at Guang'anmen Hospital.

TCM Oncology: Edited by Professor Yu Rencun of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Professor Yu is one of the towering figures in Chinese TCM oncology. He held that cancer arises from "righteous qi deficiency with evil excess," and his "support the righteous and expel evil" approach has become the main therapeutic principle in contemporary TCM tumor treatment.

Record of Professor Yu Rencun's Clinical Teaching in Oncology: Compiled by Professor Wang Xiaomin, presenting Professor Yu Rencun's thinking and case records on treating cancer.

Collected Papers on Clinical and Basic Research in TCM Oncology: Compiled by the Cancer Institute of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences; a compilation of TCM anti-cancer materials with certain academic value.

Theory and Verified Cases of TCM Treating Tumors: Edited by Lin Lizhu, Xiao Zhiwei, and Zhang Shaocong of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. Professor Lin Lizhu is a doctoral supervisor in clinical internal medicine of integrated Chinese-Western oncology and is highly influential in southern TCM circles; this book crystallizes her and her team's anti-cancer thinking.

An Anti-Cancer Life—Collected Papers on Cancer Prevention and Treatment by Qian Bowen: A summary of Professor Qian Bowen's anti-cancer experience. It was selected for the "National Science and Technology Ministry's Inheritance Project for Renowned Veteran TCM Experts" and the "Shanghai University of TCM Masters' Inheritance Project," and carries high academic value.

Therapeutics of Primary Liver Cancer by Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine: By Academician Wu Mengchao and Professor Zheng Weida; a monograph on liver cancer treatment.

Chen Youzhi Treating Cancer with TCM: A collection of Chen Youzhi's cancer-treatment experience compiled by his student He Xiao. Chen Youzhi was a well-known anti-cancer TCM physician in the Hangzhou area and was very influential in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region.

Essential Analysis of Tumor Pattern Treatment by Famous TCM Masters: A case-record monograph on TCM tumor treatment edited by Professor Li Jiren, a national medical master of the Xin'an school. Professor Li compiled over a hundred TCM anti-cancer cases and commented on each; it is well worth reading.

TCM Treatment Strategies for Cancer Pain: Edited by Xu Ling et al. It comprehensively introduces internal and external TCM methods for cancer pain, as well as ways to manage side effects of common Western analgesics.

Sun Bingyan's 40 Years of Experience Treating Cancer: The veteran TCM physician Sun Bingyan was one of the elder statesmen of contemporary Chinese TCM oncology. He excelled in using "using poison to attack poison" to treat cancer and strongly advocated integrated Chinese-Western treatment; in clinic he often used Chinese and Western medicines together.

Golden Mirror of Clinical Practice by Ancient and Modern Famous Physicians: A series edited by Shan Shujian and Chen Zihua, compiling ancient and modern TCM literature by specialty. The "Oncology Volume" specifically addresses tumor diseases. The series is highly useful; besides the oncology volume, volumes on "Edema and Guan-Ge" and "Abdominal Distension" are also closely related to tumors.

Handbook of Clinical Application of Chinese Patent Medicines for Tumors: Edited by Professor Lin Hongsheng of Guang'anmen Hospital, the oncology hospital affiliated with the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. (The Guidelines for TCM Diagnosis and Treatment of Malignant Tumors mentioned above was also edited by Professor Lin.)

Great Dictionary of Tumor Formulas: A reference work on tumor formulas edited by Zhao Jiancheng, Xie Jizeng, and Yang Jianhua, collecting tens of thousands of TCM anti-cancer prescriptions.

TCM External-Medicine Category Formulas: Classical TCM external-medicine formulas collected by Professor Zhao Shanghua of Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine. Professor Zhao is a surgery professor there; besides this book, his other works, such as his collection of experience treating thyroid diseases, are also worth reading.

There are not many dedicated TCM anti-cancer dictionaries. In my view, a desk should also always have the Great Dictionary of Chinese Materia Medica, the Chinese Materia Medica (Zhonghua Bencao), the Newly Compiled National Chinese Patent Medicines, the Great Dictionary of TCM Formulas, and the Practical Clinical Formula Dictionary, for frequent consultation. Tumor patients' symptoms are endlessly varied and cannot be fully covered by a few anti-cancer monographs.

Dedicated tumor case-record works are not common, but many general TCM case monographs contain tumor cases. From my own experience, reading widely across many disease categories improves overall clinical skill. Below are three case collections I often consult.

Collected Case Records of Famous Chinese Physicians: External-Medicine Cases: Edited by Luo Hegu, Du Shaohui, Zeng Lingzhen et al. A thick monograph of TCM external-medicine cases, gathering large numbers of cases of ancient and modern famous physicians treating surgical diseases.

Clinical Cases of Famous Modern TCM Masters: Edited by Professor Lu Zhaolin of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The series runs to 12 volumes: Lung Diseases, Spleen-Stomach Diseases, Heart Diseases, Kidney Diseases, Liver-Gallbladder Diseases, Bleeding Disorders, Atrophy-Bi and Miscellaneous, Skin-External-Orthopedic Diseases, Gynecology, Pediatrics, ENT and Ophthalmology, and Cold-Damage/Warm-Disease. Readers may choose the volumes matching their own field.

Essential Collection of Cases of Famous Modern Chinese Physicians: In six volumes, edited by Academician Wang Yongyan. An encyclopedic case collection covering modern famous TCM physicians treating all kinds of diseases; regular reading raises clinical skill.

Classical TCM literature on treating cancer is vast and hard to enumerate. But there are a few books I particularly value.

First, the classics of the three great schools of TCM external medicine: Chen Shigong's Standards of Surgery (Waike Zhengzong) of the Ming dynasty, Wang Hongxu's Life-Saving Collection of Surgical Conditions (Waike Zhengzhi Quansheng Ji) of the Qing, and Gao Bingjun's Reflections on Surgical Diseases (Yangke Xinde Ji) of the Qing. These three are the representative figures of the three schools, which are named after the three books: the Zhenggong (Orthodox) school, the Quansheng (Life-Saving) school, and the Xinde (Reflections) school. These three works contain the essential TCM thinking on surgical diseases; tumors, strictly speaking, belong to TCM external medicine, so treating tumors requires reading them carefully. Many classical formulas we use today for tumors come from these three books.

Beyond these, Li Dongyuan's Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach (Piwei Lun)—Li being one of the four great masters of the Jin-Yuan period—Wang Qishi's Principles of the Treatment of Deficiency (Lixu Yuanjian) of the Ming, Xue Ji (Xue Lizhai)'s Elaborations on Surgery, Essentials of Surgery, Key Aspects of Surgery, and Empirical Surgical Prescriptions of the Ming, and Qi Kun's Compendium of Surgery of the Qing are also books I often turn to. These physicians all excelled in treating surgical diseases holistically.

Which Western oncology monographs are worth regular reading? Let me briefly introduce the few I read regularly.

Clinical Oncology Manual (Casciato): Edited by Dennis A. Casciato, a classic in oncology. There is a Chinese translation published by Science Press. I do not know the latest edition; I have the translation of the original 7th edition.

The Biology of Cancer (Weinberg): Edited by R. A. Weinberg, a classic of the life sciences. It also has a Chinese translation, again published by Science Press; I have the original 2nd edition. From a biological angle it details the causes and development of cancer; reading it deepens our scientific understanding of cancer. "The stones of another hill can polish the jade." Studying TCM anti-cancer theory alongside modern biological cancer theory lets us view cancer more comprehensively and objectively.

Clinical Oncology (Niederhuber): Edited by John E. Niederhuber et al.; the Chinese translation was led by Academician Sun Yan and published by People's Military Medical Press. A classic clinical oncology text that keeps updating; I have the 5th edition.

Genetic Counseling in Hereditary Tumors: Edited by the American medical doctor Professor Lu Guohui. It comprehensively covers tumor genetics and is suitable for readers with some foundation.

Clinical Manual of Commonly Used Tumor Markers: Edited by Professor Wang Juxiang et al. Nowadays, even when studying TCM anti-cancer treatment, one inevitably encounters various tumor markers; we often read tumor-marker reports, so we need a solid command of them.

There are very many cancer monographs, and the list above does not even include all the cancer books on my shelves, but it is unrealistic to read the entire mountain of medical literature. These books are enough to give a person a comprehensive grasp of cancer; deeper research requires reading more. My own knowledge is limited; I am sure you can find more valuable literature in libraries and bookshops.